Hidden Feelings
by WDT419-626
Summary: Zero is in love with Kaname. He's accepted that Kaname will never love him back, and he's decided to get over his feelings without anyone ever finding out about them. That changes when Shiki discovers Zero's feelings. Yaoi. KanamexZero, TakumaxShiki.
1. Chapter 1

Zero Kiryu was very good at hiding his emotions. He could hide his pain and sadness from people by glaring at them in hate or scoffing at them in scorn. He'd been hiding his pain for the better part of four years now so he very skilled at it. He's had to ever since the night his younger twin brother, Ichiru, had allowed a pureblood vampire to kill their parents and turn Zero into a vampire. He's had to hide his blood lust and pretend he was a normal human, when he wasn't anymore.

So when he realized that his love for Yuki Cross was only that of a sibling's, and he actually had feelings for the resident pureblood Kaname Kuran, he managed to hide it from everyone.

It was quite easy, really. Whenever Kaname would insult him, he would use his hurt and turn it into anger and direct it at the pureblood with him none the wiser about how he really felt.

He wasn't sure why he fell for the pureblood of all people, but it didn't really matter in the end. Yuki loves Kaname, and Kaname loves Yuki. It was as simple as that and he didn't fit in anywhere in that equation.

When they finally declare their love for each other, he'd leave Cross Academy and fly to Europe or something to get away from them and continue hunting over there.

However, since he can't ingest the Blood Tablets without coughing up blood, Kaname's been feeding Zero his blood to stop his descent into Level E. And until Hanabusa Aido makes the Blood Tablets more Level D friendly, he can't leave Kaname's side. It was pure torture being so close to Kaname when he fed. Once a week, he could wrap his arms around those strong, broad shoulders, and put his lips on that perfect, pale neck, and drink that sweet, delicious pure blood. It made getting over his feelings nearly impossible. Fortunately, Aido was working ten times as hard to find a solution since his precious pureblood's pure blood was on the line which meant he'd probably be able to leave the country after graduation.

He knew he was running away, but can you blame him? There was no way that Kaname returned his feelings and he was only torturing himself by being around the pureblood. Zero shook his head, he had to leave before he did something he'd regret and people realized where his feelings truly lie.

Zero violently shook his head to disperse his thoughts. Thinking about Kaname when he was in public was never a good idea, especially when he was about to see him in just a few minutes.

He was outside the Moon Dorm gates, waiting for the class change-over. Yuki was having trouble getting the girls in order, and while he knew he only needed to yell at them to get them to calm down, he decided to get a good laugh in at Yuki's expense before he stepped in. Call him cruel, but he immensely enjoyed watching her flounder around. He didn't hold any hate towards her as it wasn't her fault that she held Kaname's love. It wasn't her fault that Kaname was straight and would never go for a male. It wasn't her fault he was a pathetic Level D vampire hunter and Kaname was a perfect pureblood.

He was forcibly pulled from his melancholy thoughts as screams of "Idol-sempai!" came from the Day Class girls and he noticed that the gates had started to open. His heart started to beat faster when he saw Kaname in his spot in the middle of the crowd of noble vampires. It dropped when he saw him automatically make a beeline for Yuki and sees him smile gently when she blushes. It reminded him that Kaname was in love with Yuki and it made him want to cry. Already, he could feel a slight burn behind his eyes that warned him of impending tears.

Cursing profusely in his mind, he glared at the screaming fangirls. "Would you all just shut up!" The stinging stopped as he redirected his feelings into anger at the girls for hurting his enhanced hearing with their squealing.

The girls all stopped screaming in delight at seeing the beautiful Night Class and they all glanced warily at the angry silver-haired prefect. All the Night Class nobles frowned at Zero's attitude, though they weren't surprised, and some even rolled their eyes at the display.

All except one.

Only one saw the retreating tears in the hunter's eyes, and he wondered what could make Zero want to cry. He followed Zero's gaze to Kaname and Yuki and at first he thought Zero was jealous of Kaname for getting Yuki's attention. Then he saw that he wasn't glaring at Kaname, rather, it seemed like he was gazing longingly at him. This caused him to become extremely confused.

Zero chose that exact moment to look away from Kaname and Yuki and he noticed an intense and curious gaze on him. Pale amethyst clashed with light blue as the two caught each other's gazes. Senri Shiki threw a meaningful look in Kaname's direction and then raised an eyebrow, the question clear in his eyes.

_'What the hell was that?'_

Panic rose in Zero before he forced himself to calm down so he didn't give anything away. He raised his own eyebrow as he responded to the unspoken question.

_'I don't know what you're talking about.'_

Unfortunately for Zero, Shiki had seen that second of panic in Zero's eyes. Shiki was highly observant, so it wasn't hard to guess at what the longing look Zero had given Kaname meant. It just seemed so impossible. How could Zero, who often voiced his hate for vampires quite proudly, have feelings for Kaname, a pureblood vampire?

Shiki shook his head and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil from his pocket. He quickly scribbled his message across it. He put the pencil back into his pocket and folded the piece of paper. As he walked by Zero, he slipped it into his hand so smoothly, only someone who was watching them intently would have been able to see the exchange. Shiki continued walking to class with the other nobles but he knew he wouldn't be able to pay attention in class now that his brain was trying to find any instances where Zero showed any romantic feelings towards Kaname.

Zero was panicking again, only this time he couldn't force it down. Shiki had just slipped him a note, which meant that he'd seen the panic Zero had first felt at finding out that someone had seen the look he'd given Kaname.

He hadn't meant to look longingly at Kaname, but he'd seen him brush Yuki's hair behind her ear and had wondered how it'd feel to have Kaname run his hand through his hair with that much affection. He was so stupid for pining after someone who would never return his feelings. He was even more pathetic for allowing himself to fantasize about that same person _in public!_ And now someone from the Night Class noticed, and not just anyone, but someone from Kaname's inner circle! This couldn't possibly get worse.

He instantly cursed himself for that thought since he still has not read Shiki's note. He turned away from the gates and started walking into the surrounding forest. Once he was sure he was a safe distance away from Yuki or any wandering Day Class girls, he unfolded the note.

_'Lake. After class. Won't tell if you won't.'_

Zero blinked. He reread the last sentence over and over, going over every possible meaning those words could have. Did they mean that Shiki wouldn't tell Kaname or any of the other nobles about his feelings, or was he reading into it too much and they were actually talking about the meeting itself? Did Shiki mean that he wouldn't tell the others about the meeting if he didn't tell anyone? Or could it be that Shiki would keep quiet about Zero's feelings until Zero finally decided to tell Kaname?

He groaned. Never have five words confused him so much! He shook his head again and felt his chest for his Bloody Rose. He didn't think he'd have to kill Shiki, but he was prepared to threaten to kill him and even severely injure him if he decided to blab about Zero's feelings. He supposed it was a bit cruel to attack the other simply because he was afraid to let anyone know about his feelings, but if the vampire noble was going to be an ass during their meeting, then he was ready to take serious action.

With that determined thought, he started to patrol the school grounds, impatiently waiting for the end of classes.

* * *

Shiki was right when he predicted that he wouldn't be able to pay attention to the teacher. He couldn't stop thinking about Zero. He'd gone over every encounter the hunter and Kaname had that he'd been present for and he couldn't find one instance where Zero showed he was even the slightest bit interested in the pureblood. Everyone assumed he was in love with Yuki. Perhaps these feelings for Kaname were new? That would make the most sense, but Shiki knew that the hunter was good at hiding his emotions. He could have been in love with Kaname this entire time and none of them would have ever realized it because none of them ever really took the time to look at Zero and his expressions. He'd only noticed because of Zero's loud outburst and had only continued looking at him because he couldn't understand what would make the other want to cry. It was only a coincidence that Zero happened to look at Kaname in that longing way at the same time.

All these thoughts were going to drive him crazy.

He was tempted to tell either Takuma or Rima about what happened, but he knew that would be going against the promise he'd made to both Zero and himself. No matter how tempting it was to pull them both aside and compare notes, he wouldn't unless Zero said he could. Of course, he wouldn't need to compare notes with Rima and Takuma once he talked to Zero, he could get all the details right from him. If Zero decided to tell him anything, that is. Which wasn't likely. Shiki would be lucky to walk away from the upcoming meeting without a bullet wound.

Rima nudged his arm with hers and slid a piece of paper to him.

_'Are you okay?'_

Shiki blinked. He should have known Rima would notice all the thoughts tumbling around inside his head.

He quickly scrawled a reply, _'I'm fine, just thinking. And before you ask, I can't tell you. Sorry' _He passed it back to Rima.

She quickly read it over before frowning slightly. Then she shrugged and wrote a response, _'Can you tell me what it is that you wrote on that piece of paper outside the dorm?'_

Shit. Of course someone had noticed him writing the details of the meeting. There was no way for him to do it discretely and trying to hide it would have only got more people's attention. He quickly thought up an excuse, _'A reminder for later. Not important.' _

Again, she frowned. Rima was smart, and it was obvious she had seen through his pathetic lie. She bit her lip, _'Why are you being so secretive?'_

Shiki sighed. He hadn't meant to offend her, _'Sorry, but it's not my secret I'm keeping. If it was, you'd be the first I'd tell.'_

_'Who's secret is it?'_

Shiki shook his head and crumpled the paper. He turned to Rima and mouthed, _'Can't tell,' _before getting up to throw the paper away. He hoped that when he left to go meet Zero she wouldn't try to follow him. Zero would not be happy and he'd think that Shiki went back on his promise not to tell anyone. He definitely wouldn't walk away from the meeting bullet-hole free if that happened.

* * *

Time seemed to inch by slowly when you wanted it to go by faster. Zero sighed as he sat down on the bridge over the lake. He had tried to take a nap to stave off boredom, but now he was awake and he was getting impatient again. Classes ended ten minutes ago but Shiki had yet to show up. Zero only hoped it was because he was having a hard time ditching the other nobles without telling them the reason for his departure.

A minute later Shiki walked through the tree line and he made his way over to the seated hunter. Zero didn't bother to get up from his spot.

Shiki sat down next to him. "Sorry, I had to make sure Rima wasn't following me, so I'm a bit late."

Zero blinked. He couldn't remember ever hearing the other boy speak so many words at once. He shrugged. "It's fine."

They sat in silence for five minutes. Neither were sure how to broach the topic that had brought them there. Zero didn't know how much the noble had figured out and didn't want to give anything away.

Shiki shifted to look at Zero. "Are you in love with Kaname-sama?" No point in messing around.

Zero glared at him. "What if I am?" He would not become a blushing, stuttering mess in front of the noble. He had his pride, after all.

Shiki shrugged. "I don't really care who you love. I'm just curious about how long you've felt this way."

Zero sighed and ran a pale hand through his silver hair. "I don't know, a year? One day I loved Yuki, the next I loved Kaname." He'd literally woken up one day and realized he was in love with the pureblood thanks to a dream he'd had that he couldn't think about without both blushing and cursing madly.

Shiki nodded his head. "Alright. I won't tell anyone about your feelings if you don't want me to."

Zero frowns. "I really don't want you to. Not anyone. Not even a stray cat that wonders into your path. You don't know who that cat talks to."

Shiki smiled slightly. "Okay, I got it," he stood up, "Goodbye Kiryu-san." He turned and started to walk away towards the Moon Dorms.

Zero nodded his head as he stood up. "See ya, Shiki." He walked the opposite way towards the Sun Dorms.

Zero figured that had gone over very well. Not only had the mahogany-haired boy gone out of his way to make sure he wasn't followed, he didn't laugh at his feelings for Kaname and tell him they were completely hopeless. He'd also agreed not to tell the others about his feelings. Zero shook his head, softly.

_'Maybe it'll be alright having one person know.'_

If only he knew that the more people who knew, the harder it is to hide.


	2. Chapter 2

It'd been two weeks since Shiki found out about Zero's feelings for Kaname. They'd become slightly closer since then, and they now exchange nods during class change-over. Yuki and the other nobles were confused about when they became close but they never asked since neither of them were exactly the sharing type.

One Tuesday, in the early hours of the morning, Kaname and his inner circle of nobles were all sitting in the lounge. There was a plush leather couch, and two armchairs. Kaname was sitting in the left armchair while Aido was sitting in the right one with Kain on the arm rest. Ruka was sitting on the left side of the couch, closest to Kaname. Rima was sitting next to her with Takuma on her right with Shiki sitting by his feet.

They were watching the TV that was situated on the wall directly in front of the couch. The movie they were watching was about vampires and they all shared laughs at the inaccuracy of the movie.

Kain frowned when he saw one of the characters put on lavender contact lenses. It reminded him of Zero and that reminded him of that time two weeks ago.

He turned to Aido. "Those lenses remind me of Kiryu-san."

Aido frowned as he turned to his taller cousin. "Why are you bringing him all of a sudden?" The others all looked over at the two.

Kain shrugged. "It's just that, two weeks ago, I thought I saw tears in his eyes. It's been bugging me for some time now." Shiki froze in his spot on the floor.

Ruka frowned. "Zero was crying? I don't remember seeing him cry during changeover."

Kain shook his head. "He wasn't full on crying, but he was tearing up."

Shiki bit his lip. "Maybe he had something in his eye?" This wasn't looking too good.

Kain frowned at him. "Both eyes? And he didn't rub his eyes to clear them, he just blinked them away and then yelled at the girls," Kain paused and glanced at Kaname, "He also sent a longing look your way, Kaname-sama."

On the outside Shiki was the perfect picture of calm, but on the inside he was _freaking out! _Damn Kain and his observation skills! Shiki knew he needed to fix this, but he wasn't sure how.

Luckily, Aido provided the perfect solution with a snort. "Kiryu was probably just jealous of the way Kaname-sama held Yuki's attention."

Shiki sighed with relief. Thank god! That was a plausible excuse and something he, himself, had considered.

However, Aido wasn't finished. "Kiryu's so pathetic, pining after a girl who is so obviously in love with Kaname-sama! And he actually thinks he has a chance against him! As if Kaname-sama would lose to a Level D." Shiki frowned. He didn't like what Aido was saying. While he and Zero hadn't actually spoken since those two weeks ago, Shiki still felt that they were as close as friends, and he didn't like hearing his friend bad mouthed in front of him.

Aido laughed. "He was probably crying because he realized that his love for Yuki is pointless and is never going to be returned."

Shiki'd had enough. "Zero isn't pathetically in love with Yuki, he doesn't love Yuki!" Crap, not the best thing to say. Everyone was looking at him in confused shock at his outburst.

Rima frowned. "If he's not in love with Yuki, why was he crying while watching her with Kaname-sama?"

Shiki had never felt so terrified in his life. He couldn't breathe right and his heart was beating so fast and loud he was sure the others could hear it. He had to get out of here, fast, before he said or did anything else to put Zero's secret in jeopardy.

Fortunately for Shiki, the gods were on his side and his phone rang. Mumbling a quick apology, he ran off to answer the call and to tell his manager how much he loved her.

* * *

Takuma frowned as he and the others all watched Shiki's quickly retreating form leave the lounge for his room. None of them could have missed the cold terror on Shiki's face and it would forever be etched into their brains. Takuma's had feelings for the other for some time now, but Shiki never showed any interest in him that way, so he'd kept his feelings to himself.

Takuma had been jealous of Zero when Shiki and he would exchange nods every day. Takuma had never seen them interact before, and yet they'd just out of the blue started greeting each other every day like it was normal. He didn't understand how they'd become close.

Ruka huffed. "What was his problem? All Rima asked was why Zero would cry over Yuki if he didn't love her. Was that really so hard a question?" Aido and Kain shook their heads.

Takuma swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, his jealous mind putting two and two together and getting five. "You don't think...that…"

Aido leaned forward in his seat and rolled his eyes. "Do we think what, Taku?"

Takuma lowered his gaze to the floor. "That Shiki and Zero are...lovers?"

Silence fell over the room as they contemplated that statement in their own ways. Aido and Ruka thought it was ridiculous, Kain was skeptical but couldn't outright deny it, Rima was trying to remember if Shiki ever showed any interest in Zero before two weeks ago, Takuma was remembering how frightened Shiki looked when questioned about Zero's feelings, and Kaname was…well, Kaname was having mixed feelings. He felt disturbed by the thought of Shiki with Zero. It wasn't because they were two men, he had no problem with people who prefer such things as he knew Takuma did. When he tried to picture Shiki with Takuma, it didn't disgust him. When he tried Zero with Takuma, he had to force himself not to shiver. He wasn't sure why exactly, but the idea of Zero with Takuma or Shiki made him feel…anxious. He decided that it was simply because Zero was a Level D vampire and thus was not good enough for a noble vampire.

Rima finally broke the silence. "I don't think that's it, Taku. They just don't seem like a compatible match." The others murmured their agreements.

Takuma sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. I must be really tired to suggest that. I think I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight everyone." The others said goodnight to each other and went to bed as well.

* * *

During changeover later that day, Shiki slid another note into Zero's hand as he walked by.

Zero wondered what Shiki wanted that he couldn't say in front of others, and started to get nervous. He quickly walked away from the Moon Dorm gate, ignoring Yuki's calls to wait. When he was comfortably surrounded by the thick forest, he unfolded the note.

_'Lake. After class. We might have a problem.'_

Zero's heart skipped a beat. A problem? What problem? Did someone find out about his feelings? Or were they close to figuring it out? Was it someone they could trust to keep quiet, or was it someone who was going to tell Kaname? If they did try to tell Kaname, would Shiki be upset if he shot them?

He took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. All these thoughts were only going to freak him out more. He needed a distraction.

Zero sensed the perfect distraction coming his way, fast.

Three Level E vampires. Zero smirked. Well, at least he could kill some time on them. He was curious about why three E's would be coming this way, but he pushed the thought aside for now. He pulled out Bloody Rose, and prepared to fight.

When the first E finally came into view, Zero shot it instantly between the eyes, reducing it to ash. The second one came at him from the side, and he twisted away and shot it in the back twice. Before he could turn around, the third barrels into him from behind. They both tumble to the ground, and the E sinks its fangs into his left shoulder.

Zero clenches his teeth so hard he starts to taste blood. He lifts Bloody Rose and tries to shoot it, but the bullet only grazes the left side of the E's face. It pulls back and lets out a high-pitched scream that made Zero's ears start to ring. Zero sits up and aims his gun at the E.

It jumps away from Zero and cries out, "Traitor!" before running away.

Zero's shocked by what the E said, and that moment of hesitancy allows the E to get away. He shakes off his shock and tries to stand up to go after the E. But by the time he manages to actually get up, the E's aura has already disappeared.

He leans against a tree for support as he thinks about the attack. Not only had E's managed to get on to the school grounds, but they'd come so far undetected. They were also working together in a pack, when E's are normally so far gone that they could never work together without fighting each other. But these E's had worked together. The first one had distracted him from the second one and the third one used the distraction the second one caused to attack him from behind. It was a fairly coordinated attack, which was something unthinkable for E's.

Then there was what the third one said. It'd called him a traitor. A traitor to who, the E's? He wasn't one of them, Kaname's blood makes sure of that. How could he betray someone when he was never one of them?

* * *

Shiki was worried. The other nobles were so close to figuring out Zero's secret. At the meeting tonight, he was going to warn Zero about it so he could hide his feelings better. He should have known that he wasn't the only one who noticed what happened two weeks ago. Hopefully, though, he was the only one who pieced together Zero's love for Kaname.

Shiki forced himself to keep his face blank because the others were all watching his reactions. They'd been watching him ever since he ran out of the room last night without answering Rima's question. He had no idea how to answer it if he's asked again, but he plans to ask Zero what he should say.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kaname sit up straighter and discreetly sniff the air. That's when he is hit with the strong scent of blood and the aura of a Level E vampire. Kaname stands up and walks out the door, the other nobles in his inner circle hurrying after him. Who was bleeding? Shiki hoped it wasn't one of the Day Class students, that wouldn't go over well.

When they got to the clearing where the smell of the blood was coming from, there was two different piles of ashes that signified two dead E's. There was blood splattered on the ground and on a nearby tree, but the source of the blood was nowhere to be found.

Where was the person who's bleeding?


	3. Chapter 3

Zero pushed the door to the stable open with his good arm. He was exhausted, and wanted a safe place to rest before his meeting with Shiki. He knew no safer place than with his favorite horse, White Lily. She'd watch over him while he healed.

When Lily saw him, she nickered, which, to Zero, sounded like a greeting. She then let out a nasal snort full of worry when she saw that he was bleeding.

He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, girl. It's healing." Lily gave him a doubtful look, but Zero ignored it as he settled down in the pile of hay next to her stall.

Truthfully, he wasn't healing as fast as he had hoped. He hadn't fed from Kaname in two weeks. They usually met up on Saturdays so Kaname could feed him, but these last two Saturdays, Kaname had been too busy, and Zero didn't want to insist. He didn't want Kaname to think that he didn't have any self-control.

Yuki had offered him her blood, but he'd refused instantly. No way in hell was he ever drinking from her again. That would only piss Kaname off and make him hate Zero even more than he already did.

Zero sighed as he finally felt the wound close. Hopefully, the Night Class didn't become agitated at the smell of his blood. He had covered his tracks with a hunter charm so that they weren't able to follow his scent to the stables. He didn't want to deal with curious or even hungry vampires while he rested.

He refused to think about what the E had said to him. What it said made no sense whatsoever, and he wouldn't let it shake him up like hearing the word "comrade" had when an E had called him that months ago. Both of the E's were crazy because of their bloodlust, and didn't know what they were saying.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Zero checked the time and realized that more time had passed then he'd thought. Classes ended two minutes ago. Picking himself up, he rubbed Lily's snout and said goodbye before making his way to the lake for his meeting with Shiki.

* * *

Kaname had instantly known whose blood it was when he'd first smelt it.

He'd smelt it when he'd first given Zero his blood the night of Shizuka Hio's attack when he'd been falling to Level E. It was Zero's blood. The blood was flowing freely, so that ruled out a paper cut or a scrape. The hunter had been in a fight. There was no way a human could have done any damage to him, and the only vampires on campus had been in class with him. That meant an unfamiliar vampire had gotten onto campus without his knowledge. He narrowed his eyes in displeasure, he didn't like there being things he doesn't know about.

His eyes narrowed further. Another thing he doesn't know about is where the bleeding hunter has run off to. Kaname could smell Zero's scent, but it was faint. He was only able to smell it because he was a pureblood and he knew what scent to look for.

Kaname was pulled from his thoughts by Yuki stumbling into the clearing. She took in the dead E's ashes, the blood spatter, and he and his nobles with a worried frown.

She looked at him. "Kaname-sama? What happened here? Who's blood is that?"

Before Kaname could answer her, Shiki did. "It's Zero's blood." Everyone looked at him.

Kaname raised an eyebrow. "How do you know what Zero's blood smells like?" When would Shiki have smell Zero's blood?

Shiki shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, or at least, I didn't until now. I only guessed because Yuki just got here and is perfectly fine. Zero has yet to get here, and with his enhanced sense of smell and speed, he'd have been here by now. It couldn't have been from someone from the Day Class because they wouldn't have left, and even if they had, we would be able to smell them. Also," he pointed to a speck of blood a little bit away from the much larger pile, "that smells like an E's blood, and it smells worse than the rest of the blood, which means that not all of it is from the dead E's." Everyone was awed by how much the normally quiet, mahogany-haired boy spoke at once.

Yuki frowned, looking even more worried. "Zero's hurt? Well, then, we need to find him, right?" She turned to Kaname with wide, teary eyes.

Kaname thought about it. He hadn't been able to feed Zero these past two weeks, and Zero had, thankfully, refused Yuki's offer to drink her blood. If Zero was found when he was injured, he'd probably get hungry, and even if he didn't lose control of his bloodlust, he'd still frighten a poor Day Class student and Kaname would be forced to clean up the mess. The answer was surprisingly obvious.

Kaname nodded once. "We'll find him, Yuki, don't worry." He smiled gently at her, which caused her to blush and smile shyly at him.

Takuma frowned slightly. "Where do we even start looking for him?" Shiki shifted nervously and checked the time. His resigned sigh caught Kaname's attention.

Kaname frowned at his slightly. "Shiki?" The demand was clear in his voice.

Shiki sighed again. "I know where Zero will be after class." Zero was going to kill him for this.

Yuki perked up. "You do?" He reluctantly nodded his head. Zero was going to kill him as painfully and as slowly as physically possible.

Takuma frowned. "How do you know where he's going to be?" Just how close were Shiki and Zero that the former knew when and where the latter was going to be?

Shiki shrugged, but didn't answer. He already told them he knew where to find Zero at a specific time, no way was he going to tell them the reason why he knew.

Yuki shook her head. "It doesn't matter how you know. Can you please tell us where he'll be?"

Shiki glanced at his watch again. "Class just ended, he should be at the lake by now."

Kaname looked Shiki in the eye. "You're sure he'll be there even though he's been injured?" Shiki nodded. He knew that Zero would show up for their meeting even if he'd lost both his legs; he'd crawl using only his arms, dragging his bleeding lower half all the way to the lake.

Cringing slightly at that disturbing mental image, Shiki leads the others to the lake where he was supposed to meet Zero.

Zero had just gotten to the middle of the bridge when he saw Shiki enter the clearing with Kaname, Yuki, and the other nobles trailing behind him.

Shiki mouthed a quick,_"Sorry," _before Yuki yelled, "Zero!" and ran towards him to hug him.

Catching her in his arms, he frowned at Shiki. "Hey, Yuki. What are you doing here?" His stupid heart skipped a beat at seeing Kaname, and he quickly pulled Yuki away from his chest before she had the chance to notice.

Yuki frowned softly. "I was worried about you when I heard you'd been injured. Thank goodness Shiki knew where you were, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight!"

Zero glared at Shiki, who flinched slightly. "Yeah, lucky." The noble was lucky that there were others present, or Zero would have shot him. Why would he tell them where he was? Did he tell them about the meeting, too? His glare became even harsher.

Yuki hesitated. "Are you sure you're fine?" Zero stopped glaring at Shiki long enough to look at Yuki and see the hidden meaning in her question.

_"Are you sure you're not hungry for blood?"_

Zero nodded. "I'm fine Yuki, you don't have to worry." Of course, that was a lie. His hunger was worse now, but he could deal with it until Saturday. That way he'd be too lost in his bloodlust to blush at being so close to the object of his affections.

Yuki brightened. "Good, I'm glad!" She'd been worried that he'd been hiding his bloodlust, and had covertly asked him if he was. She knew only she, Kaname, Zero, Aido, Takuma, and Seiren knew about Zero feeding from Kaname, so she hadn't asked outright.

Zero suddenly found it hard to focus on anything but Yuki's slender, white neck. He could practically hear the blood rushing under her pulse point. He quickly shook his head and stepped away from her. He needed to leave, fast.

He turned away from Yuki. "I'm going to bed." He quickly walked away, ignoring her calls of his name. He couldn't be around her right now. He was tired from all the stress of the day, and needed to get a good night's rest before he even considered being around anyone.

Shiki frowned when he saw Zero's gaze on Yuki's neck. He quickly glanced at the others to see if he was the only one who noticed, and saw that they were whispering quietly about getting someone to clean up Zero's blood. He turned back in time to see Zero quickly walking away from Yuki as she called out his name.

Zero was hungry. That much was obvious from the way he'd gazed at Yuki's throat. Shiki quickly checked his pocket for his blood pills, turned around, and ran into the forest. The others were all distracted and didn't notice him leave. He quickly ran around them, hidden by the trees, as he made his way to the Sun Dorms. He didn't know if Zero had any blood pills, but he'd make sure just in case.

He didn't know that Zero couldn't stomach the pills without choking on his own blood.

Since he doesn't know that, he knocks on Zero's door. When Zero opened the door, he didn't look surprised to see him there, and he figured the hunter had sensed him.

He stepped inside when Zero walked away from the door, leaving it open, and closed the door behind him. Zero's room was very spartan-like. All he had were the bare essentials: a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a desk. He wasn't very surprised though. If there'd been more, then he'd have been surprised, but this room was very Zero.

Zero crossed his arms across his chest. "Well? What do you want?" The only reason he could come up with for him being here was that the other boy wanted to have the conversation they were meant to have at the lake.

Shiki reached into his pocket for his container of blood pills and held it out to Zero. "I noticed that you looked hungry, and I wanted to make sure you were fed."

Zero looked at the container blankly for a few seconds before smiling softly. "Thanks, but I can't digest them properly."

Shiki blinked and let his hand fall to his side. "What do you mean, you can't digest them properly?"

Zero shrugged. "I can't take the blood pills without coughing up blood."

Shiki frowned. "Then what have you been taking?" How could he not drink fresh blood or take the blood pills without losing his mind to the bloodlust and dropping to a Level E?

Zero blushed slightly and shifted uncomfortably, causing Shiki's brow to furrow. "Every Saturday, Kaname lets me drink from him." Shiki's jaw falls open in shock. Kaname was feeding Zero his own pure blood? Why?

"Why?" Shiki asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Zero looked at the floor in sorrow. "Yuki." Shiki suddenly understood everything from that one name. That was why Zero looked so crestfallen right now. Kaname wasn't doing it for Zero, he was doing it for Yuki. And that hurt Zero.

Shiki sighed. "So, if you're hungry, why didn't you ask Kaname-sama for his blood?"

Zero shook his head. "It's fine, I can manage until Saturday without blood. I've survived longer."

Shiki frowned, he didn't think it was safe. Sure, even if Zero had perfect control, he'd still be in pain until Saturday. It was dangerous to let any vampire go so long without any blood, especially when they were around so many unsuspecting humans. Shiki knew what he had to do, and he was prepared to do it for his new friend.

He unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve and rolled it up past his elbow. He held out his wrist. "Here, take a bit. At least to hold you over until Saturday."

Zero's amethyst eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected the other to offer his own blood. He quickly shook his head. "No way, you don't have to do that, I'll be fine."

Shiki rolled his eyes, but never lowered his wrist. "I can't take that risk. Being around the Day Class is going to torture for you. This will barely hurt me. So take it, if not for yourself then for the humans your putting at risk by being stubborn."

Zero frowned. Shiki had him there. His vampire side wouldn't let him refuse what was being offered to him freely, and his hunter side cringed at the thought of putting innocent people in danger. He sighed in resignation, and gently bit into Shiki's extended wrist. Zero sighed in relief as the blood slipped down his throat and soothed the ache in his chest and fangs.

What neither of them realized was that the others had noticed Shiki's disappearance, and had followed his scent to the Sun Dorms.


	4. Chapter 4

Takuma had been the first to notice Shiki's absence.

Kaname summoned Seiren, and she instantly appeared before him, completely silent as she moved.

"Clean up Zero's blood and the E's ashes," he ordered. Seiren nodded, placed her hand over her heart, bowed slightly, and disappeared.

Once she was gone, Kaname turned his attention to Yuki, who had called out Zero's name as he vanished from sight. Kaname hadn't really noticed her calling until after he'd finished making sure no Day Class students stumbled upon the clearing where Zero had fought the Level E's. Thinking about that, he remembered he had yet to get the full report from Zero on what really happened in full detail. He was even more worried about Zero's bloodlust now that he'd been injured, but he knew Zero would never ask him for his blood. He actually liked that he was the one who usually went to Zero to feed him. Any vampire would jump at the chance to drink his blood, but the silver-haired hunter refused to ask him for it. Even the first time he had offered his blood to Zero, who had been weak and starving, was meet with refusal. While he knew it was because Zero hasn't fully accepted his vampire side, he still appreciated it.

Yuki's huff brought him out of his thoughts. "He's so ungrateful. I was really worried about him, that jerk!"

Takuma smiled brightly at Yuki. "Cheer up, Cross-san! I'm sure Kiryu-san is merely exhausted by today's events. Right, Senri?" He turned to where Shiki had stood, but he wasn't there.

"Senri?" Takuma called, doing a full 360 turn as he looked all around the lake for the mahogany-haired noble. "Where did he go?" Takuma had a sinking suspicion he knew exactly where Shiki was, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. His jealousy had already thought up one theory that he didn't want to believe; he didn't want to add fuel to the fire

Aido frowned. "Shiki's missing now, too? Why is everyone disappearing all of a sudden?" He turned to Kain. "You better not ditch me too, Akatsuki!"

Kain shook his head at his cousin's antics. "I'm not going anywhere, Hana-chan." Aido's frown deepened at the nickname from their childhood.

Ruka scoffed. "You're acting like a little child, Hanabusa." She rolled her eyes; he was so immature.

Aido glared at her. "And you're acting like a bitch, Ruka!" How dare she insult him with that superior attitude! Was it so wrong for him to not want his cousin to disappear into thin air? He wanted to actually be able to sleep tonight, but if someone else went missing, he wouldn't be able to.

Ruka turned fully towards him, her clenched fists poised to strike him. "I dare you to say that to my face!" She was two seconds away from ripping his stupid little head off, family or not.

Kaname bit back a sigh and turned to his nobles. "That's enough." He was suddenly very tired.

Aido and Ruka were both mortified that they'd had to be reprimanded by the beloved Kaname-sama. "Yes, Kaname-sama." They couldn't believe they had acted like that in front of Kaname-sama!

"Takuma and I will search for Shiki. I want the rest of you to go back to the dorm." The three cousin frowned slightly, but nodded anyway, and started making their way to the Moon Dorm. Rima lingered, worried for her blue-eyed friend, but left when Takuma gave her a reassuring nod. Now it was only Kaname, Takuma, and Yuki left by the lake.

Yuki frowned. "I wanna help look, too."

Kaname nodded. "Very well, Yuki. I can smell Shiki from here, follow me." He started walking away from the lake with Yuki and Takuma following behind him.

When the scent ended at the Sun Dorms, Takuma got that sinking feeling again. He sighed, bitterly. Of course Shiki was with Zero.

He had turned around to leave when he smelled blood. And not just anyone's blood.

Shiki's blood.

Without hesitating, he ran into the building, with Kaname right behind him, and headed straight for Zero's room. He kicked the door open with more force than he meant, and the door broke off it's hinges. He roughly pulled Zero away from Shiki. The window in Zero's room cracked from the force of Zero's body hitting it. Takuma quickly checked over a stunned Shiki for any injury besides his already healing wrist.

Kaname frowned as Zero tried to sit up. "Have you no self-control?" Zero looked up at him and glared.

Takuma forced Shiki to look at him. "Senri? Are you alright?"

To say Shiki was stunned, would be an understatement. He hadn't expected Kaname and Takuma to be close enough to smell his blood, let alone barge into Zero's room and toss Zero across the room.

Shiki frowned at Takuma. "Am _I _alright? You just threw Zero across the room, and you're asking if _I'm alright_?!" He pulled away from Takuma, and helped Zero stand up.

Takuma blinked. "What? Why are you so concerned for Zero? He bit you!" Takuma was so confused by everything that had happened today.

Shiki scowled. "Zero only bit me because I asked him to."

Kaname frowned. "Why would you ask him to?"

Shiki looked at Kaname. "Because he was hungry. He didn't want to go to you because he didn't want to bother you. He was going to wait until Saturday to feed, but I told him he could take some of my blood to hold him over until then."

Zero scoffed. "Can you all stop talking like I'm not here? Now that everything's been explained, I want you two to leave. Shiki and I still need to discuss something. Without you here." He still didn't know why Shiki had asked to meet him at the lake.

Kaname narrowed his eyes. "How dare you-!"

Zero cut him off. "No, how dare you! This is my room and I can kick anyone I want out of it. Now get out!" He was tired and angry. He had avoided asking Kaname for blood so he wouldn't think that Zero had no control. But now he thought he had even less control!

Takuma gazed guiltily at the floor. He felt that he deserved Zero's anger. He'd attacked the other when he hadn't truly deserved it, after all. Even if it had been with the intention to help a friend.

Takuma sighed and placed his hand on Kaname's arm. "Come on, Kaname. We've done enough damage for one night." He turned to Zero, "I apologize for my rash actions, Kiryu-kun." Zero shrugs dismissively, no longer angry at the blond since he thought he was protecting his friend. He could understand that kind of loyalty.

Kaname didn't want to leave without a better explanation, not to mention he had yet to find out what happened during Zero's fight, but he knew he could get answers later. He felt a little bit guilty for assuming that Zero had attacked Shiki. Now that he really thought about it, if Shiki was being attacked, he would have used his blood whips, that would have formed when his blood was first spilt, to get Zero off him. So he was willing to leave all of this alone for now. He turned around and stalked out of the room, Takuma following close behind.

When they were gone, Zero sighed and fell back on his bed. "God damnit, today has been too damn tiring." He wanted to sleep but he knew he wouldn't be able to without knowing why Shiki had asked to meet him.

He turned to Shiki. "Why did you want to meet at the lake today?"

Shiki sighed and sat down next to Zero. "Kain saw your reaction two weeks ago."

Zero felt panic rise in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but found that he couldn't. "Does he know?" This couldn't be happening.

Shiki shook his head. "No, I don't think he does, but he mentioned it to the others. I had tried to get them to let it go, when Aido provided the perfect cover by saying you were reacting that way to Yuki. I was fine with letting them think that at first, but then Aido kept going on about how pathetic your feelings for Yuki were, and I sort of lost it." He looked down at his hands in guilt, remembering how his reaction had made everyone suspicious.

Zero had felt his heart clench when Shiki told him how Aido thought his love was pathetic. Granted, his feelings aren't for Yuki, but still, the situation was similar to the truth and it hurt. He sat up. "How did you lose it?"

Shiki looked back at him. "I might have told them that you weren't in love with Yuki, but I didn't say anything else. My manager called me before I could answer any of their questions, and things have been so crazy tonight that they haven't gotten the chance to ask me anything. I wanted to ask you how I should answer the question that Rima asked me."

Zero rubbed his hands over his face and slid them into his hair, gripping the silky strands lightly. "What did Rima ask you?"

Shiki frowned slightly. "She asked who it is that you love."

Zero laughed as he let go of his hair. "Thank god, I thought it was going to be a hard question!"

Shiki blinked. "You don't think it's going to be a hard question?" He had been terrified when he was asked that question, and yet Zero was laughing at it's supposed easiness. Was the amethyst eyed boy going insane?

Zero shook his head. "It's simple. If you're asked who I love then tell them no one! It's not like I'm exactly the loving type, it'll be bought easily."

Shiki bit his lip guiltily. If Zero had been asked that question he would have been able to answer it with confidence, while he hadn't even been able to think properly. He guessed Zero had really gotten used to hiding what he felt. He knew that they'd seen the terror on his face, but he hoped that the others accepted the lie as easily as Zero said they would. A vampire can dream, can't he?

Shiki nodded slowly. "Alright, but I don't think that Kain and Rima will buy it. But I believe that they can keep your feelings for Kaname a secret." Zero closed his eyes as he sighed. When he opened them again, they focused on something behind Shiki.

Amethyst eyes widened in a mixture of shock, terror, and guilt.

Shiki wondered what had suddenly caused such a look to cross Zero's face. He turned around to look behind him, and felt himself freeze. Light blue-gray eyes also widened in shock and terror.

The reason for their reactions was Yuki Cross, standing in the doorway, tears in her concern filled eyes.

"You have feelings for Kaname-sempai?"


	5. Chapter 5

When Kaname and Takuma ran into the Sun Dorm, Yuki had instantly ran after them. She had a pretty good idea where they were going.

When she heard a loud crack resonate throughout the silent dorm, she picked up her pace. She was a floor below the one Zero's room was on, but she stopped running at the sound of a door opening.

A black-haired boy stepped out of his room, rubbing his tired eyes. When he saw her, he frowned. "What's going on? What was that noise?" Before she could think up a good lie, more doors opened, and more boys spilled out of their rooms.

Yuki bit her lip. She didn't know what the noise was, but she knew it wasn't good. However, she could hardly tell them that. So instead she put on a bright smile. "I'm sure it was nothing. Now, go back to bed everyone, we have class in the morning!" The boys only stared at her blankly.

The same black-haired boy from before took a step towards her. "I don't believe you. That sound was enough to wake us all up, it's got to be something bad!" Yuki sighed. She wasn't sure how to get them to go back to their rooms.

'_If only Zero was here!' _she thought, miserably. _'What would he do, if he were here?' _Yuki held back a giggle. He'd probably glare at everyone and threaten them with bodily harm.

She suddenly got an idea. "If you don't all go back to bed right now, you'll get detention for the rest of the semester!" She was extremely proud of herself when they all groaned and went back into their dorms. She had finally gotten the Day Class students to listen to her without Zero there to glare them into submission.

She was pulled from her congratulatory thoughts by Kaname and Takuma walking down the stairs.

She ran up to them. "Why did you two take off so quickly before? Is everything alright with Zero, Kaname-sempai?"

Kaname nodded. "Yes, for now, everything has been resolved." But this was far from over.

Yuki smiled happily. "That's great!" her smile faded, "Do you know what that noise was before? It woke up the Day Class boys on this floor." Takuma winced slightly.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, they woke up on Zero's floor too, but Kaname told them to go back to their rooms, so we didn't have a problem with them," he hesitated, "As for the noise, it was actually my fault."

Yuki frowned. "Your fault?" She didn't like his hesitancy to tell her what happened.

Takuma sighed. "The reason we left so suddenly was because we'd smelt Senri's blood. When we first got to Zero's room, I thought that Zero was attacking him, so I threw him away from Senri and he hit the window which resulted in the loud sound you heard. Zero's fine and Senri told us that he willingly gave Zero his blood since he was hungry." Yuki blinked. That had all happened in the short time it took her to get up the stairs and get the boys back into their rooms?

Yuki looked at the stairs behind Kaname and Takuma. "I'm going to go check on Zero, since he seems to be attracting so much trouble tonight."

Takuma glanced at Kaname. "I don't know, Yuki. Zero kicked us out so he could talk to Senri alone. Maybe it's better if you speak to him tomorrow."

Yuki shook her head. "I don't think I could wait that long. Plus, knowing Zero, I won't be able to really question him tomorrow until changeover. I'm sure Shiki-sempai and Zero have finished talking by now."

Kaname nodded. "Very well, Yuki. We need to leave now so we can discuss what happened tonight with your father. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled fondly at her.

She could feel her cheeks start to heat up. "Goodnight, Kaname-sempai, Ichijo-sempai."

Takuma smiled cheerfully and waved his hand. "Goodnight, Yuki." He and Kaname left the dorm and made their way to the Headmaster's house.

As Yuki walked swiftly up the stairs, she thought about what Takuma had told her. She had discreetly asked Zero if he was hungry at the lake, and he'd said no, yet he fed from Shiki. It made her sad to think that Zero had lied to her, someone he's known for years, yet was truthful with Shiki who was a vampire and someone he barely knew. She loved Zero like a brother, and was truly worried for him. Today had been fairly eventful, and most of the events had ended in him being attacked. She had to make sure he was okay, even if he didn't want to talk to her about it.

She stopped in front of Zero's room; she could hear Shiki and Zero talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She pushed the slightly ajar door open fully, and was able to catch Shiki's last sentence.

"...But i believe they can keep your feelings for Kaname a secret." Yuki froze. Did she hear that right? Zero had feelings for Kaname? For how long? Why hadn't he said anything? Her eyes started to sting as she realized why he never said anything. He knew she loved Kaname. There was no way he'd tell her, of all people, about his feelings. That thought made her chest tighten. She'd been so consumed with her own life and her own feelings, that she'd never noticed Zero's.

Zero caught sight of her, and a little part of her died as she saw the horror and guilt mixed with shock on his face. Shock she could understand, but the thought that he was horrified that she'd heard them made the tears in her eyes escape and roll down her cheeks.

Shiki had turned around by now, and had the same look on his face as Zero. In the back of her mind, she was glad that Shiki cared enough to feel panicked.

She finally gained the courage to ask, "You have feelings for Kaname-sempai?" Zero bit his lip, and nodded his head once. She sucked in a breath of air as she thought about what to do next.

She wasn't angry at Zero, nor did she pity him. She had no right to be angry with him, and to feel pity for him meant that she thought that he had no chance with Kaname. She'd always liked to believe that everyone has a chance at love, no matter who it is that they love.

She wiped the last of her tears off her face and nodded her head. "Okay."

Zero was taken off guard. "Okay?" He had expected her to get angry at him and feel betrayed at his feelings for the man she loved. He frowned. "Why aren't you angry or betrayed?"

Yuki shrugged. "I have no reason to be angry at you. You can't control who you have feelings for, and I understand that. I doubt you wanted to feel this way," Zero shook his head, "As for feeling betrayed...well, do you feel betrayed by my feelings for Kaname?" Zero shook his head again, "Then why should I feel betrayed? I just hate that I never noticed, that I couldn't see that you were in pain."

Zero let his gaze fall to the floor. "I didn't want you or anyone else to know, so I hid it. Its not like it would change the fact that Kaname will never love me." He'd been terrified that she'd call him pathetic and disgusting for pointlessly loving the pureblood. He felt the pressure on his heart lift slightly, now that he knew that she still cared for him.

Yuki sighed sadly. Zero had obviously given up any hope that Kaname might return his feelings. She was stuck between helping Zero and staying out of it. She wanted Zero to be happy, but she also wanted to be with Kaname. She hated herself so much right now. Zero had been willing to sacrifice his happiness for her's, and yet she was hesitant to do the same. She felt a new admiration for Zero. He'd gone through so much heartbreak, she didn't know how much more he could take. He'd already tried to take his own life because he was afraid to fall to Level E. He wasn't as strong as he led people to believe and she was afraid for him.

She was suddenly determined to help Zero find true happiness, and she knew how do it. "I want you to do something for me, Zero."

Zero blinked. "What is it?" What could she want him to do?

During the exchange, Shiki had leaned against the wall with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He wasn't supposed to be part of this conversation, but he didn't want to distract them from their respective thoughts by leaving. He was also curious about what Yuki was thinking and feeling. He could see the pain and sadness in her still misty eyes. He was happy that Yuki didn't hate Zero. After all the pain of an unrequited love, Zero shouldn't have to go through the pain of a sibling's, adopted or not, hate.

"I want you to try to make Kaname fall in love with you," Yuki answered.

Zero's mouth fell open in shock. "You want me to do _what?!_" What could she be thinking?

Yuki looked out the cracked window. "I've had ten years of Kaname-sempai's affection, and now I want you to get him to love you within ten weeks." Shiki and Zero could hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth.

Zero frowned. "Why are you asking me to do this?"

Yuki turned back to him. "I want you to at least try to get Kaname-sempai to fall in love with you. That way, you'll never have any regrets. Right now, you can only assume he doesn't like you, but you don't know for sure. If you succeed in getting him to love you, then he'll have to decide which one of us he truly loves wholeheartedly. And whichever one he chooses, the other won't have any regrets. You won't regret never trying and I won't regret not trying to help you."

Zero stares at her, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before her words finally sink in. "There's no way I can get Kaname to love me. You can't make a straight guy fall in love with another guy!"

Yuki rolls her eyes. "Have you ever tried?" Zero reluctantly shakes his head. "Then how do you know that you can't do it? If you don't try you could end up missing out on something wonderful, and hate yourself for it later. If it doesn't work then you can move on with the knowledge that you tried."

Zero frowns. "Why are you doing this for me when you love Kaname?" None of this made sense to him.

Yuki kneels in front of him and takes his hands in hers, a gentle smile on her face. "It's because you're my brother and I love you. And if I'm going to lose Kaname-sempai to someone, I'd prefer it to be someone I love and not someone I hate. You deserve happiness more than anyone I've ever known. You've been through so much pain already, but I want to ease the pain in any way I can."

Zero's eyes start to water again. "Even if he did fall in love with me, he'd never choose an ex-human." Why couldn't she see how hopeless the situation was for him?

Yuki shakes her head. "You being ex-human means you can be with him longer than I can. Even if he bit me and turned me into a vampire, I'd be an ex-human, too. If you say that he'll let that stop him from being with someone he loves, then we'll both lose."

Zero frowned. That actually made sense. If Kaname left Yuki human, she'd die a lot sooner than Kaname, and he'd be left alone and in pain. If he was okay with turning her into a Level D vampire, then he should have no problem being with someone who's already a Level D. Then again… "It wouldn't be the same. Sure, you'd be a Level D, too, but you wouldn't have to worry about slipping to Level E because you'll be given your 'master's' blood. My so-called '_master' _is dead, and I never got the chance to drink her blood. Plus, I was born a vampire hunter."

Yuki shrugged. "Kaname-sempai's blood keeps you from falling to Level E, and if you two got together, neither of you would have to worry about you falling. And you being a vampire hunter only means that Kaname-sempai wouldn't have to worry about your safety as much as he would have to worry about mine. I don't have any hunter in me, so I don't know if Artemis will allow me to touch her if I'm turned, while Bloody Rose already allows you to use her even though you're a vampire."

Zero bit his lip. "Well, you can give him kids while I can't."

Yuki rolls her eyes. "Of course you guys could have kids. You could adopt a child who lost their family and help them like my father and I helped you. You'll be helping a child who already exists and needs help, instead of creating a new baby. You won't be related to the child, but that doesn't mean you won't love it any less."

Zero sighed in defeat. "Alright, I can't convince you that it'll never work, and now I'm slightly convinced that it just might."

Shiki was stunned. Yuki successfully countered every one of Zero's arguments with logical responses. He was starting to feel excited. Zero had a chance. It was possible that Zero could get Kaname to love him back. He was happy for his new friend and he had a new-found respect for Yuki Cross. Even though she loves Kaname, she's willing to let Zero have a shot at Kaname's love.

Zero yawned loudly, and glanced at his clock with blurry eyes. "I think we should continue this tomorrow, I'm too exhausted right now and we have class in a few hours." Yuki and Shiki said goodnight to Zero, and left his room.

Zero took off his bloody uniform, and slid under his covers. Somehow, Yuki had managed to restore the hope he thought had died out a long time ago. He had no idea how he was going to go about his task, but he knew that he wasn't alone this time, and that comforted him.

He fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

* * *

The next morning, Zero woke up and got ready for class. He showered, changed into a different uniform from last night, had breakfast, and went to class. When he sat in his desk, he laid his head on it, and promptly fell asleep.

The next time he woke up, it was to a searing pain in his stomach. He gasped in pain, and started to vomit blood all over himself, his desk, and the floor. It wasn't his blood though, it was Shiki's.

The whole class was in an uproar as everyone screamed in horror. Yagari tried to calm everyone down, and pulled Yuki and Sayori to the side. "Yuki, I want you to go get your father. Wakaba-san, I want you to guard the door and make sure no one leaves. I'll watch over Zero." The girls nodded and did what they were told.

Yagari picked Zero up out of the puddle of blood he passed out in. He knew they had to act before Zero woke up. He didn't know how hungry the boy would be.

Kaname opened the door to the classroom, and used his pureblood powers to make all the people in the room, except Sayori, Yagari, and Zero, forget what happened. The other nobles then herded the dazed Day Class students out of the classroom and into a different room.

When the nobles had first smelt Shiki's blood, they'd all ran to the room he shared with Takuma. When they saw that he was fine and just as confused as they were, Kaname realized that the scent was coming from the direction of the classrooms. He'd quickly ran out the dorm gate, thankful that it was overcast outside. Several other nobles besides the ones in his inner circle came with him. He knew that something had happened to Zero, yet he didn't know what. And if Zero was hurt, why would his blood smell like Shiki's? When he'd opened the door to the classroom he knew instantly that Zero wasn't bleeding, and that he'd vomited the blood he'd taken from Shiki.

Once the Day Class students were gone he questioned Yagari. The hunter had just glared at him before sighing and telling him what happened. His theory was correct.

But now they needed to know why Zero didn't digest Shiki's blood properly. Just as Yuki and the Headmaster walked through the door, Zero's crimson eyes shot open. He pushed Yagari away from him as he curled into a ball to try to fight off the pain.

Kaname calmly walked over to Zero and knelt next to him, not caring about the blood on the floor that was seeping into his clothes. He pulled the collar of his night-shirt down and bared his neck to Zero's hungry eyes, ignoring the gasps of some of his nobles.

Zero was aware of what Kaname wanted him to do, even though he was in excruciating pain. For once, he didn't bother to fight Kaname and just sank his fangs roughly into the silky skin of Kaname's neck. He drank greedily, and started to feel better within minutes. Once he was full, he pulled his fangs out and licked the wound until it closed.

All the other vampires quickly fled the room as the irresistible scent to pureblood filled the already blood-filled room.

Kaname fixed his shirt and stood up as Yagari helped Zero up. Kaname was worried. Zero had not been able to digest Shiki's blood. But what made him even more confused was that Zero had gone several hours with the blood in his system without it coming back up. Why did it take so long to happen?

Kaname called for Aido to come back into the room. Aido reluctantly walked back into the room, the rest of his inner circle nobles not far behind him. Kaname pointed to the puddle of blood. "I want you to analyze Shiki's blood; the one on the floor and the one inside Shiki now. I want you to compare them and see if there's any differences." Aido nodded his head and produced two vials from his lounge pants pockets. He scooped the blood off the floor and into one vial before closing and pocketing it. He then turned to Shiki who cut his palm and bled into the second vial. Aido put that one in a different pocket, and he and Kain left the classroom to go to his lab in the Moon Dorm.

"Seiren," Kaname called, and she instantly appeared before him. "Clean up the blood in here. The rest of us shall move to the Headmaster's house while we wait for the results." They all followed Kaname to the Headmaster's house in silence.

* * *

When Aido compared the two blood samples, he noticed a slight difference in the blood that Zero coughed up. He instantly recognized it, and he and Kain ran out of the dorm and headed toward the Headmaster's house.

When they got there he quickly explained what he'd found. "There was a poison in the blood that was inside Kiryu. It only affects Level D vampires, and any other creature wouldn't feel a thing. The poison was created by a pureblood who hated Level D's and when consumed by one, they fall to Level E. It's a slow acting poison so Kiryu only vomited the blood up after a certain period of time had passed. Since Kiryu only consumed a small amount of blood from Shiki, it did not cause him to fall to Level E completely, and he only experienced intense pain and a growing hunger. It also took longer to take effect."

Zero frowned. "How'd the poison get inside Shiki? Even if someone snuck it into his food, how'd they know I'd drink from him? It was sort of a split second decision, thing."

Aido already had an answer. "I don't think that they only gave it to Shiki. I think that the attack from the E's that injured you last night was a set up. The person could have given everyone the poison, hoping that in your injured state you'd lose control of your bloodlust and drain someone. This person must know that you didn't have blood for two weeks and they expected you to give in to your bloodlust. If you had drained Shiki, you would have fallen to Level E permanently."

Zero shudders. Someone wanted him to fall to Level E. And badly, too, if they went to all this trouble. He'd thought that there was something wrong with that attack, and now he knows why.

What he doesn't know, is who is behind all of this.


	6. Chapter 6

It took all of Kaname's willpower not to shift in his seat and cringe in disgust. He was still covered in the blood Zero threw up, and his pants were starting to cling uncomfortably to his legs. It hadn't occur to him that he could have changed while Aido had been getting answers.

And what answers they had been.

But some things weren't really adding up. He turned to look at Aido. "If this person could get the poison in everyone's food, then why didn't they just give it to Zero directly?"

Aido frowned. "That's an excellent question, Kaname-sama. Why go to so much trouble when there was a much easier way?"

Zero went over yesterday's events and noticed something. "I didn't eat or drink anything yesterday. I wasn't hungry in the morning, I never have lunch, and I was too tired and distracted by the events of last night to eat dinner." Everyone turned to look at him.

Yuki frowned in disapproval. "You should eat everyday, Zero. Though, in this case, it was actually a good thing you didn't eat anything." She shuddered when she realized what could have happened if he had eaten yesterday. She didn't think she could ever get on his case about not eating enough after this.

Ruka frowned. "I get putting the poison in the Day Class's food to try to get Kiryu to ingest it that way, and the attack to get him to fall even faster, but why put the poison in the Night Class's food?"

Shiki's eyes lit up in realization. "Whoever this is must know that Kaname-sama feeds Kiryu-san his blood. That's why they poisoned our food. They did it because they assumed Kiryu-san would go to Kaname-sama for blood after getting attacked. If he'd have eaten, the poison would have taken effect when he was attacked, and if he went to Kaname-sama for blood, he'd have ingested even more poison and would have irreversibly fallen to Level E." Everyone fell silent as they listened to Shiki's theory.

Kaname had no idea how this person could know that he was giving Zero his blood. They had been very careful during their feedings. The Senate already hated Zero because they assumed he killed Shizuka Hio who, crazy or not, was a pureblood. Who knows what they would do if they found out that he drank pure blood regularly. They wouldn't understand why he willingly gave a Level D vampire his blood.

Even Aido, Takuma, and Seiren- who were some of the only people he let close to him- didn't completely understand. They knew that Yuki had asked him to, and that he cared about her happiness; but they still didn't get it.

Truthfully, he knew that he'd give Zero his blood even if Yuki hadn't asked. Part of the reason was because when he had visited Shizuka in her cage, he had proposed the idea of escape to her, which caused a series of events that led to the hunter becoming a vampire. He felt partly responsible even though he knew that he had no way of knowing what would happen. He also took Shizuka's life when that was all Zero had wanted to do for four years. Then the hunter was blamed for her death. The other reason was because he'd never met anyone who could suppress their vampire urges without taking the blood tables. It was unheard of, but Zero had done it, and Kaname felt that the boy should be given relief from his pain. He had no hate for Zero; in fact, he respected and admired the ex-human.

Yagari turned to Zero. "What exactly happened during the attack? Tell us everything; maybe we can find a clue as to who sent them after you."

Zero told them everything about the attack. About how the E's had worked together to attack him, how he'd grazed the last E in the cheek with a bullet. He hesitated before telling them about what the E called him after he'd hurt it.

Yagari's frown deepened. "It called you a traitor? From what you said, this is personal and not just some pureblood disgusted by a Level D or even them wanting you for their 'collection' of E's. You must have done something that this vampire views as being traitorous." The only purebloods he knew were Kaname and Shizuka. Could this new pureblood be after him because he was drinking Kaname's pure blood or because they think he killed Shizuka?

Cross clapped his hands together, pulling Zero from his thoughts. The older man smiled brightly. "Alright, the Night Class needs to go back to the dorm, I think they're serving breakfast soon, you all need to change as well." He looked at the nobles' pajamas with amusement dancing in his light brown eyes.

Kaname once again forced back a cringe at the state of his clothes as he stood up. He turned to leave with the rest of his nobles, when Cross spoke up. "I would like to speak to you, Kaname-sama, and Zero-kun."

Kaname waved the others on when they stopped and turned back to Cross and Zero. Shiki and Yuki paused at the door and they both glanced at Zero, silently asking if he was going to be okay. When he nodded, they left the three of them alone in the office, the door closing with a resounding click that seemed to echo in the silence.

Cross sighed as he sat down in his chair. Zero suddenly got a bad feeling. "I hate to say this, but I think its time for Zero to move into the Moon Dorm and switch to the Night Class."

Zero's jaw dropped open. "What? Why?" Why was he being punished when he hadn't done anything wrong? He glared at the Headmaster. _"This is complete shit!" _Kaname didn't say anything.

Cross sighed again. "If you ingested any more poison than you did, you could have fallen and attacked a Day Class student. If you move into the Moon Dorm Kaname-sama can look after you incase this person tries again."

"I don't need his protection!" Zero growled. His heart rate increased at the thought of being closer to Kaname and seeing him at every meal and during class, but he still didn't like that Cross thought he need someone to watch over him.

Cross shook his head. "He won't be protecting you, not really. If you switch, you'll only see the Day Class students during changeover and so even if you're poisoned again or attacked, you won't harm anyone. The Night Class students can protect themselves against you."

Zero winced and looked away. The way he said that, it sounded like he didn't trust Zero not to attack anyone. His chest tightened painfully at the thought that he'd lost the older hunter's trust.

Kaname had remained quiet as he observed the two hunters. He could see the logic in Cross's argument; it was a sound plan. If Zero were to get overtaken by blood lust, he'd be just down the hall instead of across campus. It was also true that the Night Class could stop Zero from rampaging, but he'd have to make it _very_ clear that the ex-human was not to be killed.

Kaname stepped in. "I agree with Cross-san; we can't afford leave anything to chance."

Zero bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the floor. Kaname didn't trust him either. That hurt worse than the thought that Cross didn't. He nodded his head in defeat and fled the office; trying to get away before either of them could stop him.

When he opened the front door, he was greeted by the sight of Yuki and Shiki leaning against a tree, waiting for him.

Yuki pushed away from the tree and ran up to him. "Hey Zero, what happened? We were worried about you. Why did the Headmaster want to talk to you? Are you alright, you look upset."

Zero smiled slightly at all her questions. "Cross wanted to talk about me moving into the Moon Dorm." Thinking about the meeting caused a frown to replace his smile.

Shiki frowned but didn't get to say anything since Kaname walked out the door. He smiled gently at Yuki, who hesitantly smiled back, glancing at Zero. She didn't feel right smiling and blushing at Kaname in front of Zero.

Kaname assumed her hesitancy was because of Zero's new predicament and so ignored it. He nodded to Zero and Shiki and quickly hurried to the Moon Dorm to change and shower.

When he was gone Shiki turned back to Zero. "Why does he want you in the Night Class?"

Zero sighed and started slowly walking to the lake clearing, Shiki and Yuki following behind him. "He says that it's so Kuran can keep an eye on me just incase I get poisoned again or attacked."

Yuki scoffed. "There's no way this pureblood would try the same thing twice." It would be stupid to use the same plan twice, and this pureblood wasn't stupid; their first plan was proof of that.

Zero ran his hand through his hair. "They said that they couldn't leave anything to chance. Crap, this is going to be hell."

Shiki shook his head. "I don't think it'll be that bad. I mean, this way, you can get closer to Kaname-sama."

Yuki smiled brightly. "That's right! If you join the Night Class you can spend more time with Kaname-sempai and get him to fall for you."

Zero glanced at them. "You think this is a good idea now? Before you were against it!"

Yuki shrugged. "That was before we realized the possibilities."

Shiki nodded. "There have been multiple vampires joining the Night Class and there are only two rooms not completely filled. Seiren's room, which I doubt you'll be put into since she's female, and there's an empty room next to Kaname-sama's room."

Yuki laughed. "It's like it was meant to be!" She felt a pang of jealousy, and was surprised that it wasn't causing her to get angry like Aido and Ruka got angry at her. She pushed those thoughts away for later.

Zero chose to ignore Yuki's comment when they arrived at the lake. He gazed at the water as it glistened in the sunlight. Everything was so complicated. Not that anything had ever been simple, but still.

Shiki cleared his throat. "I have to go back to the dorm and change." He was still wearing his pajamas. He looked so out-of-place that Yuki and Zero started laughing. Shiki smiled slightly and left before they could catch their breath.

The next morning, Zero was all packed and ready to move into his new room.

There was a knock at his door, and when he opened it he came face to face with a sleepy Shiki.

Zero raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

Yuki jumped out from behind him. "We're here to help you carry your stuff to your new room!"

Zero glanced at Shiki as he yawned. "Did she drag you out of bed?" The mahogany-haired boy had lost out on sleep these last few days because of everything that's been happening.

Shiki shrugged. "She pulled me aside last night to ask me to get up early so we could help you, so in a way, yes she did drag me out of bed. No offence, but I would still be asleep if she hadn't insisted."

Zero chuckled. "Well, since Yuki is so eager to help, I'll put her to work. There's only two bags so you can carry them easily, Yuki."

Yuki pouted. "That's mean Zero! You guys have vampire strength while I'm only a weak human, you can't make me carry such heavy bags."

Zero grabs the bags off the bed and shoves them into Yuki's arms. "You're the one who wanted to help."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, help. Not do all the work." Shiki only watched the two of them with mild amusement, happy he wouldn't have to do anything.

They started walking over to the Moon Dorm. Halfway there, Shiki took pity on Yuki and grabbed one of the bags she was carrying. When she'd looked at Zero pleadingly, holding the bag out towards him, he'd only snorted and brushed past her. She glared at his back.

Zero pushed open the gate to the Moon Dorm, and the three of them nodded to the guard. They were greeted by Cross as he opened the dorm door.

"My darling children look so adorable today! Are you happy to see your papa?" was the first thing out of his mouth.

"No," Yuki and Zero deadpanned. Cross started crying. They ignored him and walked into the dorm.

Shiki started walking up the steps. "I'll show you to your room." Zero and Yuki turned to follow him when Cross's voice from outside caused them to pause.

"Oh my, what are you doing back here?" The three of them glanced at each other in confusion.

Cross walked in with Maria Kurenai and another girl. "Look who's here!"

Maria smiled brightly and ran to hug Zero. "Zero-kun! It's so good to see you!" She glances behind him and notices the two bags. "Are you moving in too? This is great, now we can see even more of each other!"

Zero stared down at the top of her head in confusion. "What are doing here? I thought you'd left."

She nodded and let go of him. "I did, but I came back with a friend. I figured I'd have more fun in my room with a buddy."

Zero suddenly had a sinking feeling. "Your room wouldn't happen to be next to Kuran's is it?" Yuki and Shiki shared a worried glance

Maria nodded happily. "Yup, that's it! How did you know?" She paused, "Is that the room you were assigned?" Zero nodded his head, solemnly.

Maria glanced behind her at her companion. "Well, I'm sure there's another room somewhere…"

Shiki shook his head. "That's the only free room. Seiren's the only one without a roommate."

Maria beamed. "That's perfect! Ayaka can stay with Seiren and you and I can share the room."

"Absolutely not!" Cross yelled loudly, his voice echoing around the room.

Maria pouted. "Why not?"

Ayaka looked at Cross. "I'm alright with this, Headmaster-san."

Cross shook his head. "Well, I'm not okay with it. I can't have the Day Class student's parents' finding out that a boy and a girl are sharing a room. They already think I favor the Night Class; if I allow this, it'll only become a problem."

Zero frowned. "Then where the hell am I going to stay?" He was starting to get very frustrated. He was actually looking forward to staying in the room next to Kaname's.

Cross smiled brightly. "You can stay in Kaname-sama's room! He doesn't have a roommate and it'll make your," he glanced at Maria and Ayaka, "_situation_ even easier."

Zero froze, feeling as if he was falling and flying at the same time. He was going to share a room with Kaname. This couldn't be happening! How was he going to keep his feelings hidden when he'll be sharing a room with the pureblood? Why did this happen?

Yuki felt as if she should feel more upset than she actually was. The man she loved was going to be rooming with her adopted brother who was in love with him. But she wasn't upset, and that caused her to get upset. Could it be that her feelings for Kaname weren't as strong as she thought they were? Was it only a crush on the man who'd saved her when she was a child? Is that why she was okay with Zero going after Kaname and hoped they end up together?

Shiki was trying very hard not to laugh. He couldn't believe how perfect this worked out. He knew that Zero and Yuki couldn't see the humor in this situation that he saw. He just thought that it was the perfect opportunity for Zero to get Kaname to fall in love with him, being in such close proximity.

Zero, Yuki, and Shiki looked at each other and they all remembered Yuki's happy exclamation yesterday on their way to the lake.

'_It's like it was meant to be!'_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Holy crap! It's been over a month since I've written anything but I broke my laptop and school started up so it's been crazy. There was also a family emergency, but I won't bore you with the details. So, as an apology, I'm writing an extra long chapter.**_

_**Alright, here's the chapter!**_

* * *

Kaname stares blankly at Zero. Zero had knocked on his door and had announced, very unhappily, that they were going to share a room. Kaname wasn't sure how to react and he really hoped that Zero was joking and he meant that he was staying in the room next door. There was no reason to share a room when there was an empty one not twenty feet away.

Maria Kurenai pops her head out from behind Zero and Kaname realizes that he'd been staring at Zero for so long he hadn't noticed Yuki, Maria, Shiki, Cross, and a female vampire he'd never met behind the hunter. He turns to Cross for an explanation.

Cross smiles apologetically, and laughs nervously. "Ha ha, funny story Kaname-kun! There's only one room open and there's three students that need a room. Since Zero-kun can't room with a girl, I thought that he could stay with you!" Kaname's eye twitches, "I figured since you have to be near him anyway, it would be a good idea to just put you in a room together."

Kaname frowns. It was true, it would be easier to feed Zero if they stayed in the same room. At least this way, the other nobles not in his inner circle wouldn't question why their pureblood leader would go into an ex-human's room once a week. He couldn't risk the other vampires figuring it out and telling the Vampire Council.

Zero keeps his gaze on the wall beside the door. He still can't decide how he should feel. On the one hand, he would be sleeping in Kaname's room, which smelled exactly like him. On the other hand, there was an even bigger chance that Kaname would learn of his feelings. And that scared him shitless.

Kaname bites back a sigh and opens the door further so Zero can get past. Zero hesitates for a second before entering, Yuki and Shiki following after him with his luggage. Cross bounds in after them, while Maria and Ayaka hover uncomfortably in the doorway. They had no real reason to go into the pureblood's room, so they didn't.

Kaname only glanced at them before turning around to walk further into the room, leaving the door open, but not inviting them inside. Every vampire knew not to enter a pureblood's room without express permission, and even then, the more respectful and loyal vampires still hesitated to do so. He knew that if Shiki hadn't been carrying one of Zero's bags, he wouldn't have entered.

Yuki and Shiki set the two bags on the floor by the second, untouched bed. Shiki glanced between Zero and Kaname before he walked out of the room, pausing at the door and turning to Zero. "Goodnight, Zero. I'll see you at breakfast." He nodded to Kaname, turned around and went back to his room, desperate to get back to sleep.

Yuki bit her lip before smiling brightly at Zero and Kaname. "I'm going to go, too. I'm hungry and I don't want to miss breakfast! I'll see you both at class change-over, alright?" At Kaname and Zero's nods, she too walked out the door, a smiling Chairman trailing after her.

Zero glanced at Maria and her friend Ayaka who were still standing outside the door. When their gazes met, Maria smiled brightly at him and linked her arm through Ayaka's. "Well, we should go too. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, as I'm sure you do. See you in the morning, Zero, Kaname-sama."

Zero gives them a slight wave goodbye as they walk away towards their room next door. He lets his arm fall limply to his side when they're gone, suddenly very uncomfortable being alone in the pureblood's presence.

Kaname turns to look at Zero. " I suppose I should clear a spot for your toiletries in the bathroom while you unpack." Zero nods slightly and picks up one of his bags, Kaname leaving to do what he said he would.

Zero quickly unpacked all his things, knowing that while he had a good night's rest, Kaname had probably just fallen asleep when he'd knocked on the door and invaded his room. He felt like he should apologize for being such an inconvenience, but knew that Kaname would be suspisious about why he apologized when the Zero he thought was real would never apologize to a pureblood.

Kaname watched Zero unpack, not sure what to do with himself. He knew Zero wouldn't accept his offer to help him unpack, so he simply sat down on his bed. He's never shared a room with someone before and he didn't know what to expect. Knowing Zero, he wouldn't invade his privacy or get in his way as long as Kaname didn't get in his way. Hopefully they could coexist peacefully so there wouldn't be any unnecessary problems.

Zero finished packing in record time, and looked at the regal pureblood vampire who was sitting gracefully on his bed. Zero tried to keep from staring at the expanse of smooth, pale flesh that was visible where one of the buttons had come undone on Kaname's shirt, exposing his collar-bone. He cleared his throat, and shifted uncomfortably. If this was how he was always going to act in front of Kaname, his time in his new room was going to suck spectacularly.

He sighed. "Look, I was expecting to stay in the room next door but unforeseen circumstances have forced me to stay in this room, so we're both going to just have to suck it up and get over it."

Kaname smirked slightly at Zero's word choice, slightly surprised that he hadn't cursed once. "Yes, I believe that would be the best way to go about this. Neither of us asked for this, but it happened and it really is the best option. This way, no one but my inner circle of nobles, Yuki, Cross-san, and Yagari-san will know about our feeding sessions."

Zero nods his head. "Yeah. Um, I suppose you want to go back to sleep since we have classes later tonight, or I guess now, in the morning." It would take a while before he got used to being on vampire time instead of human time.

Kaname held back a grateful smile and instead nodded his head and turned the lights off. He and Zero both settled into their separate beds. Kaname forced himself to relax and fall asleep since he hasn't slept in another's presence in a long time. It was easier than he thought it would be, considering Zero was a vampire hunter by birth and has openly stated that, given a chance, he wouldn't hesitate to kill the pureblood vampire. Despite that, however, within a few minutes, Kaname was asleep.

Zero, however, couldn't fall asleep as quickly. He had already gotten some sleep last night so he was fully awake now. After half an hour, Zero decided to focus on Kaname's presence across the room. With his sharp hearing, he could hear Kaname's steady and even breathing, and it lulled him to sleep.

* * *

The next vampire morning, Zero woke up to find himself on the floor of the bathroom, Bloody Rose clutched in his hand. After realizing where he was and what he was holding, he sat up and looked around. He started when he found Kaname next to him, still in the process of waking up after he was jolted awake by Zero's sudden movement. Apparently, Kaname had been leaning on Zero while they slept, a fact that made his face heat up.

Zero looked at the bathroom door and noticed a pile of ash on the floor. He shakily stood up and pushed the door all the way open.

There were a dozen piles of ash all around their room. They were attacked last night, and yet he had no memory of it. Why couldn't he remember getting attacked in the middle of the night? And why weren't the vampire nobles trying to break down the door when their pureblood was just attacked? And how did the E's get inside the Moon Dorm anyway? Yagari always said a hunter could kill Level E's in his sleep, but he didn't think that they actually could. All these questions and yet no answers.

Kaname shakes his head to clear it, stands up and takes in their room with a frown. Zero knows the pureblood is asking himself the same questions that he just asked himself. And by his frown deepening, he obviously has no answers either.

Kaname glances at Bloody Rose still in Zero's hand. " It would seem that you killed all these Level E's while in your sleep. Why I did not wake up at all, is something I'm afraid is connected to whoever attacked you. We should search the dorm and check on the others."

Zero nods his head in agreement. He takes one last look around the room before following Kaname out of the room and next door. They stop short of the doorway.

The walls and the carpet are painted red with blood. Zero instictively grabs Kaname's hand with his left arm while covering his mouth with the other. Kaname glances down at their entwined fingers, but doesn't pull away. He's too concerned about his nobles to really care that he's holding Zero's hand.

Zero can't even blush at the fact that Kaname doesn't pull away because of the horrific sight of bleeding entrails leading to Maria and Ayaka's room.

When they open the door, they see Maria and Ayaka on the ground covered in blood with their arms outstretched towards the door. Zero slides his hand out of Kaname's, walks over to them and nudges Maria's side with his foot. She doesn't even twitch.

Zero exchanges a worried glance with Kaname. He quickly bends down and puts two fingers against Maria's throat to feel for a pulse. It's faint, but it's there, and Zero heaves out a relieved sigh.

After checking for Ayaka's pulse, they leave the room and journey down the expanse halls of the dorm. Every room they check it's the same thing; blood spattered on the walls with the nobles covered in it on the floor with their arms reaching towards the door. They all look dead, and Zero can't help but feel like he's in a horror movie.

When they get to Shiki and Takuma's room, it's different. Shiki is halfway out the door while Takuma is face down in the hallway with a note taped to his back.

Kaname picks up the note and opens it, Zero moving in closer to read it as well.

_Dear Kaname Kuran,_

_I hear you refused my invitation for you and the rest of the so-called "Night Class" to attend my party this weekend. That made me sad! __ I wrote you this letter in the hopes that you'll reconsider my offer. __I figured that you'd need a little push, so I decided to show you what will happen if you don't accept. I so do hope you change your mind! _

_P.S. I apologize if my pets got a little out of control. They were my newest batch, and are very excitable. Don't worry about replacing them for me; I have plenty more where they came from._

_Love, Chiyeko_

Kaname growls and crushes the paper in his fist. "She did all of this, just because I said no to going to her party? And what she says at the end? About having plenty of Level E's?"

Zero felt slightly sick. This person was obviously a pureblood, seeing as no vampire would treat a pureblood like this besides another pureblood. She's obviously powerful if she caused the entire Night Dorm to fall into a deep sleep.

A thought hits Zero and he turns his wide eyes toward Kaname. "I understand how she managed to put me and the others to sleep, but how did she do it to you?"

Kaname frowns. "I'm not sure." Kaname knows this pureblood, and he knows that she's nowhere near powerful enough to overpower him. He is the most powerful pureblood alive, he should have woken up the second the spell was cast over him and the others.

Zero gazes at Kaname. He knows just how powerful Kaname is, so none of this makes any sense. Zero stands up straighter and blinks. Unless...?

Kaname notices Zero's sudden movement, and tenses, his senses on high alert. "What?" he asks while glancing around.

Zero shakes his head. "It's just...what if this Chiyeko didn't do it by herself? What if she had help from another pureblood? Is it possible that two purebloods working together could overpower you?"

Kaname's eyes widen. "Yes, it is possible. If that is the case, then this goes beyond me not accepting an invitation to her party."

Zero runs his hands through his hair. A phone starts ringing and Kaname and Zero exchange looks. Zero bends down and picks a phone out of Takuma's pocket. There's nothing on the screen but the time. _5__:32 p.m. _"What the hell is going on?"_  
_

Suddenly a Level E jumps out of Shiki and Takuma's room with a snarl and jumps at Kaname.

Zero lifts and aims Bloody Rose at it. "Kuran!"

Zero and Kaname both simultaneously sit up in bed, gasping for air. Zero's eyes immediately search out Kaname to make sure he's alright. Kaname looks back at him with a similar startled expression.

They both look around the room and see that there aren't any piles of ash on the floor anymore. Zero checks the clock on his nightstand and see that it's 2:29 p.m. He scowls and gets out of bed, Kaname doing the same.

Together they make their way down stairs and to the dining room where they could hear the other nobles all having multiple conversations. When they enter, still dressed in their night-clothes and looking freaked out, all noise stopped as everyone looked at them.

Takuma was the first one who broke the silence. "Kaname-sama? Kiryu-san? Is something wrong?" Zero scoffs. What wasn't wrong?

Kaname ignores Zero as he address the entire room. "Did any of you notice anything strange last night?"

Kain frowns. "I didn't notice anything." The others all nod in agreement.

Kaname glances hesitantly at Zero. "Where did you all wake up? Did any of you wake up on the floor, by chance?" Everyone shakes their heads uncertainly.

Shiki glances between Zero and Kaname. "Kiryu, what's going on?"

Zero sighs in frustration and runs his hand through his hair. "I really wish I knew." Shiki frowns at his answer.

Kaname turns to Takuma. "Were we invited to Chiyeko's party this weekend?"

Takuma blinks. "Yes, and you turned her down, remember?" He hesitates before asking, "Are you sure you two are alright?"

Kaname nods impatiently. "Yes, yes we're fine. That's not important, I want you to send her another letter saying that we'll all be there. Also tell her that we won't come unless Kiryu can bring Bloody Rose." Zero has to smother a smile of happiness at the thought that Kaname had thought about him, that he knew that he wouldn't be comfortable at a pureblood's party without his Bloody Rose.

Takuma brow furrows in confusion, but he knows better than to question his pureblood leader. Instead he simply nods. "Alright, I'll do that now." He didn't move.

Kaname didn't notice. He turned around and he and Zero went back upstairs to their room.

Everything that had happened within the last 48 hours has been completely crazy. Zero couldn't believe that only two weeks ago he had been worried about his secret being found out by Shiki. He had no idea what had happened before. No one else had seen anything strange, and they'd all woken up where they'd fallen asleep. Where as Zero and Kaname had woken up on the bathroom floor, and then in their beds right when Kaname was about to be attacked.

Kaname closes the door after they both enter their room. He grabs Zero's arm and drags him into the bathroom and closes the door. He turns the fauset and shower on before turning to look at Zero.

Zero raises his eyebrow. "What are you doing?" His arm was tingling where Kaname had grabbed it, but he did his best to ignore it.

"We can't allow the others to over hear us," Kaname whispers. He sits on the toilet seat cover and motions for Zero to sit on the ground in front of him.

Zero scowls, but still does it. "What the hell happened last night? How did we skip a whole day without the others noticing anything? Are they still under her spell?"

Kaname shakes his head. "I don't think we skipped a whole day, and I also don't think the others were ever under her spell. I think what we saw was her spell, and only we were in it."

Zero scratches his head. "So when we thought that we were the only ones who broke her spell, we were actually the only ones caught in it?"

Kaname nods. "It seems that way, yes."

Zero frowns. "Why was I caught as well? I understand trapping you because you're the one who declined her request, but why include me?"

Kaname pauses. "Maybe she and this other pureblood cast the spell on the entire room and since you just moved in, they didn't expect you being in here?"

Zero bites his lip. "Yeah, I guess." As much sense as that made, Zero couldn't help but feel that even if he hadn't been in the room with Kaname, he would have gotten caught in the spell anyway.

Kaname could tell that Zero wasn't entirely convinced, and neither was he. It was too easy, and nothing about this was easy. There was more to it, and he was sure that he knew why Zero would have gotten caught in the spell as well. It all came down to who the second mysterious pureblood was.

Zero dropped his gaze to the floor to hide the blush he felt heating up his face. "I, uh, wanted to thank you for requesting that I be allowed to bring Bloody Rose."

Kaname looked down at the hunter. "I figured that if the party is a trap, and I'm incapacitated, you can kill them with your gun."

Zero closed his eyes and held back a sigh. Of course, it was a logical decision. Zero was only deluding himself into thinking it meant more.

Kaname realized that Zero looked strangely disappointed, but he didn't know why. "I think we've been in here long enough, we should get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast. We have classes today so we'll talk about this later tonight. Do you have any formal wear for the party?"

Zero's blush is back, only this time it's in embarrassment. "No, I've never really needed it before now."

Kaname nods his head like he expected that answer. "Very well, then. After classes you and I will go to town and get you a tux." He cocks his head to the side as he goes over what colors would go well with Zero's unusual coloring. His silver locks that always looked so soft, amethyst eyes that seemed to shine in the bathroom light, pale cheeks painted red from his embarrassed blush, and his full pink lips that glistened when he licked them with his small pink tongue.

Kaname blinks. He'd never realized that even though Zero was an ex-human, he has the looks any born vampire would be jealous of. He shakes those thoughts out of his head and stands up. He walks over to the sink and turns it off while Zero turns the shower off. They both get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

Zero shifts uncomfortably where he stands by the Moon Dorm gates, waiting for them to open so they could go to class. He glances back at the other nobles who had been giving him strange looks because of his and Kaname's strange behavior earlier. Since they wouldn't dare question Kaname, they've been upping the intensity of their stares at him.

He sighs and straightens his tie. He's still wearing his Day Class uniform because Cross thought that the black contrasted nicely with his silver locks and brought out his amethyst eyes. He doesn't entirely get it, but he's glad to have something that's familiar.

Finally, the gates open. The Day Classes screams of delight get even louder, and even Aido winces at their noise level.

Zero pushes through the mass of bodies as he makes his way to the front. Kaname is also in front, and Zero stands next to him. Kaname gives him a slightly questioning look, but Zero only glares at the Day Class girls.

The clearing goes quiet. The girls were confused as to why Zero was with the Night Class because they hadn't seen him in class that day and now he's walking out of the Moon Dorm gates wearing his Day Class uniform.

Yuki walks up to Zero and smiles happily at him. "Hey Zero! Did you get a good night's sleep in your new room?" The Day Class girls start whispering among each other, shocked that Zero Kiryu had joined the Night Class.

Zero bites his lip and glances at Kaname, who discreetly shakes his head no. "Yeah, Yuki. It was fine."

Kaname knew that they couldn't tell the others just yet, if ever. If Zero hadn't been there as well, Kaname wouldn't have told him either. There was a reason only the two of them were caught in Chiyeko's spell. The others don't need to know about it until it involves them.

Zero waves goodbye to Yuki and walks ahead so he doesn't see Kaname give Yuki a hug.

Shiki catches up to him. "So what happened this morning?"

Zero shakes his head. "I don't even know, Shiki. Don't worry about it." He and Kaname agreed not to tell anyone about what happened

Shiki frowns but shrugs. "Alright, but if you figure it out, don't hesitate to tell me."

Zero smiles at him and nods. "You'll be the first to know if I figure it out. Thanks Shiki."

Shiki smiles back at him, before going to talk to Rima. Zero notices Takuma looking at Shiki in his peripheral vision. It's a look he's very familiar with, and it causes him to stop walking. Takuma notices him and quickly looks away.

Kaname sends him a questioning look, and Zero mouths, _"Later." _It seems that Takuma likes Shiki, and Shiki has no idea. He starts walking to class again, with even more on his mind then before.

There's no way he'll be able to pay attention to the teacher, but it's not like he ever paid attention in class before.


End file.
